Guidelines - City of Oklahoma City

Preservation Standards AND Guidelines August 1, 2012
3.9 ACCESSORY BUILDINGS INCLUDING GARAGES
POLICY:
Accessory buildings in historic districts may include a wide variety of building types, such as secondary
dwellings, carriage houses, garages, and sheds. Accessory buildings original to a property or added
prior to the past forty years may have gained historic significance and should be preserved and
maintained.
DESIGN JUSTIFICATION:
The primary materials used at historic garages structures were most often wood siding (either horizontal
or vertical) or brick that matched the main house, with metal or wood shingle roofs. Some structures
were higher style and matched stonework of the primary building. Accessory structures may have
had gabled, hip, low sloping shed roofs or other roof styles. Traditionally, accessory buildings, especially
garages, were important elements of a property and were often designed to be simpler, match
and compliment the associated buildings.
SUSTAINABILITY JUSTIFICATION:
Like primary buildings, accessory buildings represent embodied energy. Continued use of an older or
historic accessory building is a sustainable approach and reduces the need for new materials.
MAINTENANCE:
ACTIONS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE REVIEW
3.9.1: Retain and preserve accessory buildings that contribute to the overall historic character of
the primary building on the site and in the district including their components, materials, details,
and features; thereby enhancing the historic character of a property and sustaining the embodied
energy of such structures.
3.9.2: Repairs to an accessory building must be made with historic materials such as stone, brick,
wood and other materials used on the original structure. Ordinary maintenance and repair, which
does not require review, shall be less than 50% of a material, component, or feature on any one
side of a structure.
3.9.3: Garage doors should typically be painted to match the color of the garage. In garages that are
‗high style‖, it may be appropriate to use the color of the garage doors as a complementary or accent
color to the overall color scheme. Ideally, color schemes should be verified (if possible) with
historic photographs.
3.9.4: Garage door openers may be added to new or existing garage doors.
3.9.5: Pre-fabricated buildings (such as garden sheds) that are less than six feet in height may be
located in back yards and may be located no closer than three feet to a side or back property line.
Acceptable exterior materials include those listed in this chapter, ―2.1 Maintenance, Preservation
and Rehabilitation of Exterior Building Materials,‖ as well as plastic pre-fabricated panels. Metal
siding is not acceptable for such buildings.
Garages were often built with
decorative detailing (left: 500
NW 14th Street), as well as
with living quarters above
(right: 2601 N. Hudson Avenue).
Oklahoma City Historic Districts 99